Simple Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

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These Simple Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins are moist, soft, and fluffy!  The chocolate perfectly complements the banana, and they’re made with just a small handful of simple ingredients!   

These muffins are delicious for breakfast or for a sweet afternoon snack.  You don’t even need to have a mixer on hand to make them!  They come together super quickly and easily, and are a crowd-pleaser at any time of year.

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RECIPE NOTES:

Prep: Because everything comes together so quickly with these muffins, I definitely recommend taking out all of your ingredients ahead of time so that you have them at the ready (once the milk and egg have come to room temperature).

Muffin Pan: You’ll want to use a 12-Cup muffin pan for this recipe!  (I personally use a carbon steel pan with a non-toxic nonstick coating.)

Storage: These muffins can be stored airtight at room temperature.  They also freeze very well!  (If you freeze them, simply leave one to thaw at room temperature before consuming.)

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Bananas: You’ll want to use bananas that are overripe!  The more brown and speckly the better.  My bananas weighed 7 oz each (or 14 oz total) once ripe enough to bake with, and while the peel was still on.

Unsalted Butter: I love using butter for my banana muffins for its richness and flavor!

Vanilla Extract: The vanilla works as a flavor enhancer.

Cane Sugar: This is my preferred/tested type of granulated sugar to use.  The right amount of sugar helps to tenderize the crumb!  (I’ve also tested this recipe with a couple tablespoons less sugar overall, and while the muffins were still tasty, they turned out a tad less soft and fluffy with that adjustment.)

Light Brown Sugar: Including some brown sugar adds to the flavor of these muffins, and also adds a bit of acidity that helps to activate the baking soda!

Whole Milk: Whole milk adds a nice amount of moisture and extra fat into the muffins which does wonders for the texture!  Allow it to come to room temperature before baking.

Egg: Be sure to also use an egg that has come to room temperature!  This will help it easily mix into the batter without altering the consistency.

Ground Saigon Cinnamon: Cinnamon is always a great background spice for anything made with banana!  I strongly recommend using Saigon cinnamon for the sweetest and smoothest flavor!

Salt: A little salt is a must in baking to help the batter develop properly! (I use sea salt, ground fine/medium)

Baking Soda: Baking soda ensures that the batter rises tall!

All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is the perfect neutral flour option to use for these muffins.  I love to use an unbleached variety!  (Measuring Tip:  I always like to measure my flour by scooping it into the measuring cup with a spoon, to keep it from getting overly packed, then leveling it out on top with the spoon at the end!)

Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Mini chocolate chips are definitely the way to go for these muffins!  They sprinkle the little chocolate pockets evenly throughout the batter.

OPTIONAL GARNISH

Flaky Sea Salt: Lastly, the salt on top is totally optional, but if you’re a sweet + salty fan like me, I definitely recommend a really small pinch for flavor complexity!

Kitchen Equipment:

• Kitchen Scale

• 12-Cup Muffin Pan

• Muffin Cups/Liners

• Bowls (1 Medium + 1 Large)

• Toothpicks

• A Cooling Rack

Servings: 12 Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Bananas, overripe (7 oz each – once overripe, before peeling)
• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
• 2 1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Cup Cane Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
• 1/3 Cup Whole Milk, room temperature
• 1 Egg, room temperature
• 1 1/4 Tsp Ground Saigon Cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp Salt (I use sea salt, ground fine/medium)
• 1 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp  / 1 Tbsp Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, divided

OPTIONAL GARNISH

• Flaky Sea Salt, to taste

Directions:

PREP

Let the milk and egg come to room temperature

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners, and set it aside

CREATE THE BATTER

Preheat the oven to 375º

In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave

Let the butter cool for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep it fluid

While the butter is cooling, in a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until as smooth as possible

Next, add the melted/cooled butter, as well as the vanilla, into the banana bowl, and gently stir together until combined

Stir in both of the sugars

Then, stir in the milk and the egg

After that, stir in the cinnamon, salt, and baking soda

Gently stir in the flour until incorporated, taking care not to overmix

(The mixture will be slightly lumpy from the banana…That’s okay!)

Finally, fold in the 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp of mini chocolate chips

BAKE

Evenly distribute the batter into the 12 muffin cups (they will be pretty full)

Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbsp of mini chocolate chips on top of the batter

On the middle rack of the oven, bake for 20 minutes (at which point a toothpick will come out clean, and the edges will be a nice golden-brown color…A few moist crumbs on the toothpick are okay!)

Place the pan on a cooling rack

Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, at which point they will have cooled enough to enjoy one warm if you like!

Remove all of the muffins from the pan and place them on a surface to finish cooling (Do this within 20 minutes so as to avoid any moisture buildup.)

Enjoy (with an optional pinch of flaky sea salt if desired)!

[Store cooled muffins airtight at room temperature.]